It Used to Be Popular: Dog Names on Their Way Out

Just as today’s second-grade classrooms are no longer filled to the brim with Jennifers and Jasons, the dog names that were most popular a decade or two ago are no longer at the head of the class.

After checking out the most popular and trendiest puppy names, we decided to try something different and determine which names are on the other end of current trends. Using Vetstreet’s data on close to 1.26 million dogs, we took a peek at which names have fallen in popularity since 2003. Here are the 10 male and 10 female dog names that have fallen the farthest in the past decade.

Dogs Are Still Popular (But These Names Aren't)

No. 1: Scooter and Brandy

Scooter earned the top spot on this list by declining the most in popularity over the past decade, falling from No. 34 on the list of most popular male dog names in 2003 to No. 98 in 2012.

Brandy takes No. 1 for females on the least popular list, starting at No. 42 in 2003 and falling out of the top 100 in 2011.

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No. 2: Dakota and Holly

Dakota, the No. 43 most popular male dog name in 2003, comes in second on our list after dropping out of the top 100 in 2009.

Holly, the second least trendy female dog name, has a similar story, claiming No. 45 in 2003 and falling off the list of most popular names in 2012.

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No. 3: Rudy and Misty

Rudy was in the top half of most popular names in 2003, coming in at No. 47, but fell out of the top 100 last year.

After holding the No. 48 spot in 2003, Misty dropped off the 100 most popular names list in 2011.

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No. 4: Spike and Katie

Spike has fallen drastically in popularity in the past decade, going from No. 29 in 2003 to No. 81 in 2012.

Katie saw a similar drop, beginning at No. 33 a decade ago, then falling to No. 82 last year.

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No. 5: Joey and Lucky

Joey, the No. 52 most popular male dog name in 2003, fell out of the top 100 in 2012, earning it the No. 5 spot on this list.

Lucky was the No. 56 most popular female dog name in 2003 but dropped off the list in 2010.

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No. 6: Rusty and Heidi

Rusty had a home on the list of 20 most popular names a decade ago, coming in at No. 16, but last year it dropped to No. 63.

Heidi is still in the top 100 most popular female dog names — but only just, coming in at No. 92 after holding the No. 50 spot in 2003.

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No. 7: Scooby and Casey

Scooby (Dooby Doo), where are you? Not in the top 100 anymore. After coming in at No. 53 in 2003, the name of one of pop culture’s favorite pups fell out of the top 100 in 2008.

Casey, which was the No. 58 most popular female name a decade ago, also fell off the most popular names list in 2008.

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No. 8: Luke and Sheba

Although Luke was the No. 56 most popular name for male dogs in 2003, it fell out of the top 100 in 2012.

Sheba, a name that fell off the list of most popular female dog names in 2009, came in at No. 61 back in 2003.

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No. 9: Smokey and Madison

Smokey hasn’t fallen out of the top 100, but after going from No. 43 to No. 87 over the last decade, it still earned a spot on this list.

Madison, the No. 62 female dog name in 2003, dropped out of the top 100 in 2009. Its nickname, Maddie, has also lost popularity but at a slower pace.

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No. 10: Sammy and Shadow

Sammy was the No. 24 most popular male dog name a decade ago and fell to No. 66 last year. It’s worth noting that Sam is also losing popularity, falling from No. 14 to No. 35 over the same period of time.

Shadow, which came in as the No. 51 most popular female dog name in 2003, has now fallen to No. 87.